Where have I seen this before?

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 09/18/2017 at 10:26 • Filed to: planelopnik

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Lockheed Martin released a promotional video last Friday for the company’s 75th anniversary, and it provides a glimpse at many of the projects the secretive design team has produced throughout its history, and gives intriguing hints at ongoing and future projects. One interesting tidbit is an aircraft that appears to tease the U.S. Air Force Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter, a 6th generation fighter that could be slated to replace or complement the F-22 Raptor. It’s an interesting shape. Now, where have we seen this before? I think it bears an intriguing similarity to the Northrop YF-23.

Of course, there is no reason to believe that any image from a super-secret project should be trusted as authentic, and it’s !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that the Air Force will field another traditional manned fighter in the future. But I’ve always had a soft spot for the somewhat gawky runner up to the Raptor, and I’d love to see it resurface in some fashion.

Here’s the L-M anniversary video in all its military industrial complex glory.

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 10:35

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It kind of looks like a duck when you see it head on like that.

ttyymmnn > Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer 09/18/2017 at 10:38

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Definitely not the most attractive aircraft, and I honestly thing that the AF brass doesn’t like ugly airplanes (see Boeing X-32).

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 11:00

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Rewatching all the F-22 vs F-23 documentaries it always pains me that the F-23 wasn’t chosen. The engineers on the F-23 just keep saying “we’re not allowed to say numbers, but the plane was fast, so unbelievably fast”

ttyymmnn > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 09/18/2017 at 11:07

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Not only was it faster, it was also stealthier. But it didn’t have thrust vectoring, and I think the AF had a hard on for vectored thrust. I also think it lost because it wasn’t as sexy looking as the F-22. As I said to Smallbear, the AF doesn’t like ugly planes.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 11:24

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Hence it’s never ending quest to kill the A-10. I still think the F-23 was a better “beyond line of sight” fighter, which aligns better with how the Air Force actually intends to use these planes.

ttyymmnn > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 09/18/2017 at 11:29

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It seems to me that there is still a place for a system that does one thing and does it very well. Like the A-10, or the F-15. But starting with the F-22 and its data integration (though it is still an excellent air superiority fighter) and progressing to the F-35 which tries to do everything , we have aircraft that are good at a few things but don’t excel at any one. In order for the F-35 to do its thing, it will still need cover from the F-22.

MonkeePuzzle > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 11:30

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I know where I’ve seen it

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 09/18/2017 at 11:42

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They were probably still too gun-shy to go for a BVR plane after the F-4 fiasco.

Spoon II > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 12:08

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They don’t, and I’ve always found that funny. If anything should be function over form, it’s the armed forces.

Jayhawk Jake > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 12:30

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Need sexy planes for more recruits

Dusty Ventures > MonkeePuzzle 09/18/2017 at 12:43

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This is what I immediately thought of

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 12:56

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I think Its cute that Lockheed thinks there is a future for more super expensive manned air superiority fighters.

ttyymmnn > HammerheadFistpunch 09/18/2017 at 12:57

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There’s a lot of money in that well.

wkiernan > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 12:58

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I’ve long thought it’s possible (with no evidence whatsoever) that the F-22 was the one they built that we were allowed to know about, and the F-23 or something very much like it was the other one they built, but we weren’t allowed to know about it. I mean, Skunk Works.

And keep in mind that not only did they develop the F-111 in deep secrecy, but they actually built and fielded several dozen of the things before the general public ever knew about it.

Viggen > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 09/18/2017 at 13:08

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Air Force had Flanker envy in the ‘90s, watching the Su-27/30/33/35/37 routinely make some great airshow demos. Partially shows why they’d lean towards the F-22, in the event that the ATF and a Flanker would get into a gun fight.

Although, I question if the Flanker can do any of that with ordinance and fuel load.

Viggen > HammerheadFistpunch 09/18/2017 at 13:10

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They’re not the only ones.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > Viggen 09/18/2017 at 13:13

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Yeah, the Flanker is certainly a very cool airplane. From what (very little) I understand about air combat maintaining energy is everything, and the Flanker’s use of that supermaneuverability in combat would be its demise.

Viggen > Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) 09/18/2017 at 13:17

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Absolutely. Much like with early delta wings, such as the Mirage III, it seems like it bleeds energy at a pretty high rate.

ttyymmnn > Viggen 09/18/2017 at 13:30

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That whole cobra maneuver is all show. Speed is life in a dogfight, and scrubbing off that much speed would be idiotic. But it sure looks great in the sky over Paris.

ttyymmnn > wkiernan 09/18/2017 at 13:32

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They are certainly flying things we don’t know about, but I doubt anything could have entered production without even a hint. IIRC, the F-117 was pretty common knowledge long before they allowed them to be seen at air shows.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > wkiernan 09/18/2017 at 13:37

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General Dynamics made the F-111 very much in public. It was the F-117 that was made in secret.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 13:43

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the cobra maneuver is good exactly once in a dogfight. If the other guy doesn’t overshoot you during it you are 100% boned.

wkiernan > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP 09/18/2017 at 13:45

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Yeah, my mistake, that’s the one I meant. And the B-2 was pretty far along in development before it was revealed, for political reasons.

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > wkiernan 09/18/2017 at 13:50

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Except for when Honda accidently built one so close they were investigated for espionage

user314 > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 14:06

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Meh, everyone knows this will be the next fighter:

Only problem is you have to think in Russian Zentradi

facw > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 15:01

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Meanwhile at Northrop:

ttyymmnn > facw 09/18/2017 at 15:03

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I was talking about this to my (only halfway interested) family this morning, and I was commenting how the drawings of the 1950s futurists and science fiction artists are all coming true. Maybe this is just retro-futurism intended to sell airplanes, but you could have put this on the cover of a pulp sci-fi book in 1965 and it would have worked.

random001 > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 15:40

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It was none of those things. The F-22 won over the much more sexy F-23 because of the almighty dollar, and not the dollar used to build the plane, if you catch my d(c)rift...

BaconSandwich is tasty. > e36Jeff now drives a ZHP 09/18/2017 at 23:17

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I’ve never heard this before. Do tell?

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > ttyymmnn 09/18/2017 at 23:20

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http://www.f-16.net/forum/download/file.php?id=10906&t=1  

fb-22. Rumored varient for greater bomb load and longer loiter time. ?

ttyymmnn > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 09/18/2017 at 23:29

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Wiki says the FB-22 concept was canceled in 2006. That looks suspect to may anyway.

Wheelerguy > user314 09/19/2017 at 00:25

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Robotech, man. Just something else.

facw > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas 09/19/2017 at 02:55

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The X-44 concept went further and ditched the rest of the tail:

e36Jeff now drives a ZHP > BaconSandwich is tasty. 09/19/2017 at 08:38

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http://jalopnik.com/how-honda-revealed-the-governments-top-secret-stealth-b-666462873

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 09/19/2017 at 12:46

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And done.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 09/19/2017 at 12:46

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I would expect nothing less.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 09/19/2017 at 12:51

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My goal (until I get bored) is to make this the new ground speed check.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 09/19/2017 at 12:56

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That post has 872k views, so you’ve got your work cut out for you. But don’t let me dissuade you.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 09/19/2017 at 15:18

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You’re slipping....

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 09/19/2017 at 15:40

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I get bored easily.

Ooo, shiny! brb

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 09/19/2017 at 15:46

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Well, it’s back on top. No thanks to you. Some friend.... ;)

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 09/19/2017 at 15:47

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Bulllshit! I just clicked on it, like, eleventy gazillion times...just for you!

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 09/19/2017 at 15:49

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Okay. But I’m watching. Always watching.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 09/19/2017 at 15:50

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Can I take a break to search for euphoniums?

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 09/19/2017 at 15:51

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Five minutes. While I’m practicing Harry Potter. Which I should be doing now instead of being on Oppo.

Chariotoflove > ttyymmnn 09/19/2017 at 15:55

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You know, I’m really sorry I won’t get to see that. My girls would love to go, but it’ll be over before we can come down.

ttyymmnn > Chariotoflove 09/19/2017 at 16:01

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Keep your eyes open. It may be happening in the Dallas area. This show is traveling. I talked to my dad the other day and he said they are doing in VA next month.